When a dark secret from this past threatens to be exposed, unorthodox and brilliant medical examiner, Doctor Daniel Harrow, must use all his forensic skills to keep it buried forever.
This tv show contains 20 potentially triggering events.
S01E07: First mentions about dead animals when the former police chief gets interviewed and then later you see them in flashbacks (around 30 minutes in)
The series is more gory than other similar shows. The post mortems are frequently shown fully on screen with more blood/gore than is usually present in similar shows. Several episodes also show bloody/gory crime scenes. There is no excessive violence onscreen but the aftermath of accidents and murders are frequently shown as well as post mortems which are almost always very bloody and gory.
Several episodes feature attempted suicides or murders that are believed to be suicides. Suicide is discussed quite extensively in many episodes including 1x01, 1x04, 2x02 and 3x03 (these are the episodes where I remember this being a prominent theme, please note there may be episodes missed and other episodes where this is also discussed)
A man attempts suicide by hanging on screen in 1x04
Several episodes feature mentions of rape and sexual assault. This is often mentioned during autopsies as the medical examiners check for any sign of sexual assault.
SPOILERS FOR END OF SERIES ONE
Fern, Harrow’s daughter, was raped by her step father for several years. This is not seen on screen but is mentioned.
In 2x07 a character mentions he stopped eating fish and chips because of mercury in fish, another replies asking "it wasn’t because [his girlfriend] wanted less to hug?"
It is revealed that the man Harrow killed was his ex-wife’s second husband. He murdered him because he raped and abused Harrow’s daughter, Fern, for several years. The murdered character was Fern’s step father, he abused her and threatened to kill Fern’s mother in front of her and then her if she ever told anyone what he had done to her. ***
Series two focuses largely on a serial killer, it is revealed later in the series that the serial killer and his mother were abused by his father when he was a child which is what motivated him to kill.
3x01: a boy murders someone because his step father abused him, he was angry when threatened by another man and stabbed him.
A woman who has an anxiety disorder is shot after holding someone hostage with a knife during what is believed to be a psychotic episode. It is later revealed that the situation was not her fault and not a result of her mental illness.
Throughout season two there is frequent mention of a serial killer who killed people by strangulation. We see photos of several dead bodies with bruising and rope marks on the throat making it clear they have been strangled. The photos are shown in many different episodes throughout series two.
Series two features a storyline about a serial killer who drugged people. Several people are killed after being drugged by this killer. One is pushed off a boat and drowns, another is set on fire and burned alive. We see characters being drugged via a needle and syringe into their neck.
In 3x09 a woman and the man she was having an affair with are murdered. The main suspect is the woman’s boyfriend who is autistic. It is never explicitly stated whether or not he is autistic but he shows autistic traits and the characters suspect him to be autistic with one saying he wonders if the man "has some kind of autism" to which another character replies "you think he’s on the spectrum?". The character is described as creepy/weird because of his autistic traits and is considered a main suspect because of this also.
When he arrives at the scene of the murder he is taken inside and shown the body of his girlfriend, he is unable to speak for a while and then only comments that "his ship is broken" (he has a special interest in ships and made models, one of which was broken when his girlfriend was murdered). One of the officers suspects him, commenting that he hasn’t said anything and wouldn’t look him in the eye and that these were "signs of a guilty man". He continues to be unable to speak throughout the episode and only speaks to main character Harrow when Harrow starts talking to him about ships, he is able to respond to a comment Harrow makes. When he is being investigated one of the police officers say that he was put on to a night shift by his boss because his colleagues found him "creepy" because he was quiet. The character is also not played by an autistic person.
The portrayal of this character is based clearly on stereotypes and it is clear that this episode was not written with the input of an autistic person. Characters use language that is typically considered offensive or inappropriate by autistic people (no slurs are used but language such as "having some kind of autism" is inaccurate and not the language preferred by most autistic people). The character is portrayed as creepy because of autistic traits and is even considered to be guilty of the crime because of his autistic traits, this goes as far as a main police officer being unwilling to pursue any other leads because he believes the man to be guilty because he "hasn’t said he isn’t" when he is clearly unable to speak because of the situation. This portrayal of autism is inaccurate and offensive and, in my opinion, upsetting to watch.
This episode could be potentially very upsetting for autistic people as autistic traits are demonised and used to suggest a man is guilty of a crime, especially when you consider the history of autistic people being wrongly convicted of crimes because of situations very similar to what is shown in this episode.
There are mentions of broken bones in several episodes including murder victims with broken bones and characters with broken bones because of different accidents/situations
2x06 - a woman is kidnapped and held by a couple for three years, we see her tied up in a shed and a freezer unit. Later in the episode a man is tied up and incapacitated by a drug before he is set on fire, he is alive and conscious when this happens.
2x01: a mother is shot by police after she wields a knife in what is believed to be a psychotic episode. She has a young daughter and the father talks about what he will tell the daughter about her mother’s death when she is older.
2x10 a serial killer strangles his mother to death
Series two focuses on a serial killer who drugs his victims, several episodes feature victims being drugged and we see reality from their perspective and it is unstable
A homeless woman is murdered and it is mentioned frequently that she abducted and attempted to abduct a young boy on several different occasions. She claimed the boy was her son but DNA tests said he wasn’t. It is later revelaed that the boy was her son and she had two different sets of DNA present in her body which is why the test was originally negative. She abducts the boy from his adoptive mother.
Several episodes discuss the possibility of murder victims having affairs, this is sometimes the case. Episode 3x09 storyline heavily mentions a murder victim having an affair
2x07 focuses on the murder of a woman who is believed to have cancer and sells a natural alternative to chemotherapy. The episode features discussions of cancer as well as several characters with cancer, this includes mentions of people dying of cancer or not having long left to live because of their diagnosis
Series two mentions a serial killer who killed people by strangulation, we see photos of dead bodies with marks on their throat making it clear this has happened
1x10 - a fight between two characters results in one being choked to death.
A severed fingertip is found. It is later revealed that the fingertip was severed when a victim tried to escape from a freezer unit after being caught in a door mechanism.
The series focuses on a medical examiner who investigates murders. Most episodes feature flashback scenes showing the murders as they happened and these scenes almost always involve screaming and/or crying.
The series focuses on a medical examiner so each episode features an often violent and traumatic death. Characters die both on screen and off screen with stabbings, shootings, hanging, asphyxiation, drownings, druggings and burnings being shown on screen in several episodes through both current and flashback scenes.
A woman who has an anxiety disorder is shot after holding someone hostage with a knife during what is believed to be a psychotic episode. It is later revealed that the situation was not her fault and not a result of her mental illness.
3x02 featured the murder of a 'vampire', characters visit a church during the investigation and speak to a priest about his thoughts on the victim. Religion is discussed here.
The main character is stalked by a serial killer throughout series two, there are several times when he is watched without knowing (camera shots from behind objects/through trees etc make this clear). There are also times when he is watched and unable to see the stalker (he recieves threatening phone calls where the stalker makes it clear he is watching the character by telling him specific details he would not otherwise know)
A dead body washes up on a beach with several shark bites. Sharks are not seen at this time but several sharks are seen later in the episode in an aquarium. Sharks are seen every time the characters are in the aquarium but most frequently towards the end of the episode where two main characters attend a party in the aquarium.
A hitchhiker is kidnapped and held for several years by a married couple. She is sexually abused frequently during this time which results in pregnancy.
This episode focuses on a dead body found inside a crocodile, the dead crocodile is shown several times. The characters also go out into the water in search of more evidence and several alligators/crocodiles are seen in the water at several times throughout the episode.
The series is about a medical examiner who, especially in the first series, works closely with law enforcement. There are several mentions of criminals being incarcerated and other characters are incarcerated and interrogated by police in several episodes. There is also mention of people dying in police custody.
2x01 - a murder victim had a young daughter (a few months old), she is seen a few times throughout the episode.
2x06 - a woman is kidnapped, held hostage and repeatedly sexually assaulted which results in her becoming pregnant. She escapes before having the baby and gives birth towards the end of the episode, most of the birth is not seen on screen.
Natural bodies of water are shown frequently and in several episodes. One of the main characters lives on a boat and the marina where his boat is docked is shown in most (if not all) episodes. Other episodes also feature natural bodies of water:
- 2x04: a dead body washes up from the ocean with several shark bites, the ocean is seen in several shots -2x05/06: a character dies after falling off a boat and the dead body is shown in the water several times throughout these episodes
(This list is not exhaustive and I will update but natural bodies of water are shown very frequently).
At the end of series one it is revealed that Fern, Harrow’s daughter, was raped and abused for several years by her step father. She was fourteen when the abuse started.
S01E07: First mentions about dead animals when the former police chief gets interviewed and then later you see them in flashbacks (around 30 minutes in)
S01E07: First mentions about dead animals when the former police chief gets interviewed and then later you see them in flashbacks (around 30 minutes in)
Fern, Harrow’s daughter, is raped by her step father for several years and threatened not to tell anyone. Fern was 13/14 at the time and the step father an adult. This is not seen on screen and only mentioned.
A man is tied to a chair and drugged, he is surrounded by newspapers which are then set on fire by another character. The man is alive and conscious when he catches fire. We see his feet and legs begin to burn before the camera moves away.
A main character dies after falling off a boat and drowning. It is mentioned that they had epilepsy and suggested that they may have had a seizure which caused them to fall off the boat. This is later revealed not to be the case and an interaction between their epilepsy medication and another medication is believed to have caused a dizzy spell which led to them falling off the boat and drowning.
A severed fingertip is found. It is revealed that this was severed accidentally when a victim was escaping a freezer unit, their finger was stuck in a door mechanism and the fingertip was severed.
Simon, Harrow’s assistant, is murdered in this episode. His death is initially believed to be an accident. He falls of a boat and drowns, the cause of this is believed to be an interaction between his epilepsy medication and another medication causing a dizzy spell that caused him to fall off the boat but it is later revealed that he was murdered by a serial killer who stalks Harrow throughout series two.
Series two features a storyline about a serial killer who drugs his victims. We see this several times, a syringe is shown filled with a clear liquid and this is usually injected into a victims neck using a needle. This happens in several episodes including 2x04 and 2x06.
Several episodes feature or take place in hospitals. The series focuses on a medical examiner and most episodes feature a post mortem. While this doesn’t take place in a hospital the location is very clinical, characters are shown wearing scrubs and surgical equipment and using surgical equipment including scalpels. Other episodes also feature actual hospitals when victims are taken into hospital.
2x01 particularly features several scenes in a hospital after a character is shot, 2x06 features several hospital schenes as characters investigate a crime in a small town and use the hospital for post mortems.
This episode is about a woman believed to have cancer who sells a natural alternative to chemotherapy. It is revealed later in the episode that she never had cancer but she genuinely believed this to be the case (she was tricked by her manager) and the murderer is a woman with cancer who stopped chemotherapy to use the supplements and then found out they were fake
In 3x09 a woman and the man she was having an affair with are murdered. The main suspect is the woman’s boyfriend who is autistic. It is never explicitly stated whether or not he is autistic but he shows autistic traits and the characters suspect him to be autistic with one saying he wonders if the man "has some kind of autism" to which another character replies "you think he’s on the spectrum?". The character is described as creepy/weird because of his autistic traits and is considered a main suspect because of this also.
When he arrives at the scene of the murder he is taken inside and shown the body of his girlfriend, he is unable to speak for a while and then only comments that "his ship is broken" (he has a special interest in ships and made models, one of which was broken when his girlfriend was murdered). One of the officers suspects him, commenting that he hasn’t said anything and wouldn’t look him in the eye and that these were "signs of a guilty man". He continues to be unable to speak throughout the episode and only speaks to main character Harrow when Harrow starts talking to him about ships, he is able to respond to a comment Harrow makes. When he is being investigated one of the police officers say that he was put on to a night shift by his boss because his colleagues found him "creepy" because he was quiet. The character is also not played by an autistic person.
The portrayal of this character is based clearly on stereotypes and it is clear that this episode was not written with the input of an autistic person. Characters use language that is typically considered offensive or inappropriate by autistic people (no slurs are used but language such as "having some kind of autism" is inaccurate and not the language preferred by most autistic people). The character is portrayed as creepy because of autistic traits and is even considered to be guilty of the crime because of his autistic traits, this goes as far as a main police officer being unwilling to pursue any other leads because he believes the man to be guilty because he "hasn’t said he isn’t" when he is clearly unable to speak because of the situation. This portrayal of autism is inaccurate and offensive and, in my opinion, upsetting to watch.
This episode could be potentially very upsetting for autistic people as autistic traits are demonised and used to suggest a man is guilty of a crime, especially when you consider the history of autistic people being wrongly convicted of crimes because of situations very similar to what is shown in this episode.
Harrow is trapped in a coffin for the duration of this episode. There are several shots of the tight space inside the coffin and towards the end of the episode Harrow struggles to breath as he runs out of air.
A woman is kidnapped, held hostage and repeatedly sexually assaulted which results in her becoming pregnant. She escapes before giving birth and gives birth at the end of the episode assisted by doctors Harrow and Fairley, most of the birth is not seen on screen.
Simon, the only queer character, one of only two poc characters, on the main cast, is killed. He is murdered by a serial killer who is stalking the protagonist, Dr. Harrow, in order to destroy everything Harrow holds dear to make him suffer. Simon, as Harrow's friend and medical assistant, is one of these things / people apparently. Also Simon got too close to the truth and had to be 'dealt with.' But honestly, Simon died for the sake of the protagonist's man-pain. Boo.
A woman and the man she was having an affair with are found dead and the main suspect is the woman’s autistic boyfriend. He is initially considered a suspect because of his autistic traits (he does not speak to the police officers, does not make eye contact and, after seeing the body of his girlfriend, only comments that his model ship, his special interest, has been broken which are "signs of a guilty man" according to the main police officer). He is unable to speak or make eye contact throughout the episode which makes the main police officer certain he is guilty, so much so that he will not pursue other leads. Other characters also use language that may be considered outdated and offensive by some autistic viewers such as a character wondering if he "has some kind of autism". It is not explicitly stated in the episode that he is autistic but his autistic traits and the speculation of other characters make it clear that he is autistic.
Autistic people often struggle to communicate verbally when overwhelmed or in a very stressful situation and struggling with eye contact is a well known autistic trait. It was upsetting to see a character be considered a murderer just because he showed these traits.
Fern, Harrow’s daughter, and her boyfriend are homeless for most of series one. They are shown sleeping in abandoned buildings and breaking into empty homes to sleep. Other episodes feature homelessness including 3x01 which focuses on the murder of a homeless man.
Several people are killed and severely injured in a car crash. At the beginning of the episode we see two cars that are wrecked after crashing. There are dead people in both cars and a lot of blood. Later in the episode we see the full car crash in a flashback scene.